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State Department spokesman Robert Wood said the U.S. told Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia at a meeting in London that it would participate in direct international talks with Iran on its nuclear program if the negotiations resume.
AP Photo

The Obama administration said Wednesday that it would join direct international talks with Iran on its nuclear program if the negotiations resume — a break with the Bush administration’s policy.

State Department spokesman Robert Wood said the U.S. told Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia at a meeting in London that it would participate in future nuclear talks. The Bush administration joined one such meeting last summer but called its participation a “one-shot deal.”

The move is another example of the Obama administration’s willingness to engage directly with Iran in hopes of reaching an agreement restricting its nuclear activities. In a statement issued at the end of the London meeting, the U.S. and the other countries handling the issue announced that European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana would invite the Iranian government to meet representatives of the group.

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“If Iran accepts, we hope this will be the occasion to seriously engage Iran on how to break the logjam of recent years and work in a cooperative manner to resolve the outstanding international concerns about its nuclear program,” Wood said. “Any breakthrough will be the result of the collective efforts of all the parties, including Iran.”

No timetable was given for resuming talks, and it is unclear whether Iran will accept an invitation or whether there was a new joint offer from the six powers to Iran.

At the meeting the Bush administration joined last summer, the international group offered to freeze sanctions on Iran in return for Tehran halting installation of additional centrifuges in its nuclear facilities, leading in six weeks to a full suspension of all enrichment activity. Iran did not accept the deal.

"We strongly urge Iran to take advantage of this opportunity to engage seriously with all of us in a spirit of mutual respect," the six powers said in their statement Wednesday.

Readers' Comments (122)

Iran has not invaded another country in centuries. The Iranian president, speaking at Columbia, said he would agree to any peace plan with Israel which was accepted by the Palestinian people. Iraq was no threat to the US but the Israel Lobby neocons lied us into war unnecessarily, and now they are trying to lie us into war with Iran. It is Israel who has hundreds of nuclear weapons and who poses a threat to its neighbors. Israel is in non-complaince with UN Security Council resolutions and international law calling for an end to the illegal occupations, yet Israel's new prime minister is famous for saying he opposes the creation of a Palestinian state.

It is important to hold these talks without the previous preconditions which were clearly set up to prevent any talks at all.

When the Israel Lobby aims to destroy someone, first they demonize him, then they try to prevent him from having a fair hearing. Thus, The Lobby tried to prevent Iranian President Ahmadinejad from speaking at Columbia University on September 24, 2007. There were rabid crowds of Zionists protesting outside, and TV newscasts featured women spitting, reminiscent of previous TV newscasts of Israeli West Bank "settlers" spitting at caged Palestinians.

Columbia's President Bollinger, no doubt hoping to counter the potential withdrawal of Zionist funding from Columbia, astonished the world by turning his introduction of an invited guest into a torrent of invective and insults. It was important for The Lobby to silence and/or discredit President Ahmadinejad because Americans are not supposed to know about the plight of the Palestinians.

Nevertheless, Ahmadinijad spoke clearly, "You know quite well that Palestine is an old wound, as old as 60 years. For 60 years these people are displaced. For 60 years these people are being killed. For 60 years on a daily basis there's conflict and terror. For 60 years innocent women and children are destroyed and killed by helicopters and airplanes that break the houses over their heads. For 60 years children in kindergartens, in schools, and in high schools are imprisoned and being tortured. For 60 years security in the Middle East has been endangered. For 60 years the slogan of the expansionists: 'From the Nile to the Euphrates' is being chanted by certain groups in that part of the world." Of course in its reporting of the event, the Lobby-dominated media chose to ignore the Palestinian issue, which was only the root cause of 9/11, and instead, the media concentrated on the "very important" issue of the presence of homosexuals in Iran. Meanwhile The Lobby was busily and successfully pressuring US senators, who have been prostituted by Lobby-generated campaign funding, to pass a resolution designating Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization. Thus, The Lobby now has its pretext for yet another war.

Talking with Iran is an absolute counter productive effort that will gain nothing and give Iran more time to develop the bomb. Did we not learn anything from our N. Korean experience? It is amateur hour at the White House and it is dangerous. Look to Israel to take out the nuclear facility. It will not have anything to do with Obama as it realizes he is nothing but a talker and appeaser.

Certainly the Israel Lobby would love to lure us into war with Iran since they care little about the future of the US. Netanyahu's greed for Palestinian land means he would rather murder thousands of people than comply with UN Security Council resolutions and make peace with the Muslim world.

We should not be talking to a so called leader that threatens the total destruction of one of our best allies.

As Ahmadinejad has explained on TV, he has nothing against the Israeli people: he wants a change in their government which refuses to make peace and obey international law and UN Security Council resolutions. He has said he would accept any peace with Israel agreed to by the Palestinians. The Arab League Peace Plan has been on the table since 2002 when it was accepted by Arafat and the Arab/Muslim world.

It is Israel who prefers war because of its greed for Palestinian land. The Palestinian people who have lived there 1300 years are being ethnically cleansed out. And it's America who pays the price with attacks like 9/11 and endless wars on Muslim lands which the Israel Lobby has lied us into.

I saw Saddam on TV saying he did not have WMD, but we invaded anyway. We would be $3 trillion richer if we had not invaded (not to mention all the lost and ruined lives). And we could sure use that money now considering what the Wall Street Bankers have done to us.

My motto is like Reagan's: trust but verify. We had inspectors in Iraq and there were no WMD but the Israel Lobby neocons were blood-thirsty. There are IAEA inspectors in Iran now. Yet the Israel Lobby wants war with Iran just as they pushed us into war with Iraq. They have an insatiable appetite for war.

You very conveniently don't mention why hostages were taken. In 1951, democratically-elected Iranian Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh, who held the quaint notion that a country's natural resources should benefit the country's population rather than foreigners, proceeded to nationalize the oil industry. As a result, the US and British secret services orchestrated a coup, overthrowing Mossadegh and replacing him with Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi.

The Shah was a pro-Israeli/Western puppet famous for his murderous security service Savak with its gruesome torture techniques. As Robert Fisk points out ("The Great War For Civilisation" p. 99), "A permanent secret US mission was attached to Savak headquarters." By 1979, the Iranians had had enough and overthrew the Shah, seizing the US Embassy, and taking American hostages. Fisk writes (p. 127-128) that 2300 documents, shredded by the Americans, were pasted back together over six years revealing much incriminating information, such as associations between Savak and Mossad, Israel's secret service.

The next year, the US supported Saddam Hussein's invasion of Iran. Fisk notes, "Iraq was already using gas to kill thousands of Iranian soldiers when Donald Rumsfeld made his notorious 1983 visit to Baghdad to shake Saddam's hand and ask him for permission to reopen the US embassy." (p. 166) Fisk also documents the fact that the US supplied Saddam with materials for both chemical and biological WMD. (p. 211-212) It would appear that instead of invading Iran, we should apologize to them.

Thank GOD we have an adult in charge of our country during these times. Just think of the disaster that could have been with McLoser and Sarah ( i can see russia from my house) Palin on heart beat from the football. WOW i am relieved that the people of this country WOKE UP.

Iran has not invaded another country in centuries. The Iranian president, speaking at Columbia, said he would agree to any peace plan with Israel which was accepted by the Palestinian people. Iraq was no threat to the US but the Israel Lobby neocons lied us into war unnecessarily, and now they are trying to lie us into war with Iran. It is Israel who has hundreds of nuclear weapons and who poses a threat to its neighbors. Israel is in non-complaince with UN Security Council resolutions and international law calling for an end to the illegal occupations, yet Israel's new prime minister is famous for saying he opposes the creation of a Palestinian state.

Oh, yes, and I'm sure the Israeli's provided a safe haven for terrorists who mutilated and killed our troops in Iraq -- oh, yes, they are a wonderful group of people. I guess you are part of the group that says, "I blame America, first." Do you remember 9/11 at all -- what about the beheadings of American citizens while visiting the middle east. By all means, let's align ourselves with the maniacs. They are just laughing at Obama and assess him as a concilliatory, weak man. The Iranian culture is just a little bit different than that of the West.

And, they certainly treat their women wonderfully -- yes, America can feel proud in electing a total novice -- bowing down to the Saudi king, kissing his ring, whose second major export is the terrorists. I know they really must fear us now! Why don't we send our scientists over there and help them build a nuclear bomb!!

Talking with Iran is an absolute counter productive effort that will gain nothing and give Iran more time to develop the bomb. Did we not learn anything from our N. Korean experience? It is amateur hour at the White House and it is dangerous. Look to Israel to take out the nuclear facility. It will not have anything to do with Obama as it realizes he is nothing but a talker and appeaser.

Your comment is short, plain and definitely to the point -- I couldn't agree more.

Palestine since ancient times has been defined as the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. After Britain gave up its Palestine mandate, the UN divided Palestine roughly equally in 1947 so as to create an Arab state and a Jewish state. (map#2) By 1967 Israel had 78% of the land. (Map#3) Now Israel occupies all of Palestine.

The Arab Peace Plan calls for Israel to go back to the 1967 border giving Israel 78% of the land. Arafat agreed to this plan in 2002. Agreeing to giving Israel 78% is generous on the part of the Arabs but greedy Israel wants more, and that's why America is being destroyed fighting these never-ending wars on behalf of Israel's illegal occupation as well as being exposed to terrorist attacks like 9/11.

As Ahmadinejad has explained on TV, he has nothing against the Israeli people: he wants a change in their government which refuses to make peace and obey international law and UN Security Council resolutions. He has said he would accept any peace with Israel agreed to by the Palestinians. The Arab League Peace Plan has been on the table since 2002 when it was accepted by Arafat and the Arab/Muslim world.

It is Israel who prefers war because of its greed for Palestinian land. The Palestinian people who have lived there 1300 years are being ethnically cleansed out. And it's America who pays the price with attacks like 9/11 and endless wars on Muslim lands which the Israel Lobby has lied us into.

And, of course, you believe him. How long have you been living in the Twilight Zone?

'There's nothing to be afraid of." "We don't need these nucs falling into the hands of corrupt and irresponsible people. " Obama is a good president so far. "" We should work together to come to a solution. " We shoudn't let them bully us arround. It doesen't look good for our country. "

Tamsin Crozier, you do realize the ONLY way to solve this Iranian crisis is with NUKES. that's the ONLY way the GOP will be happy with any solution. All other means to solve this issue is rediculous and must include your hating of our country. It's really that easy to be a mindless GOP douche.